1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-section folding apparatus for use in a rotary press, particularly a web press for printing newspapers, which is so designed that it is possible to increase the number of sections (volumes) of a newspaper issued at a time.
2. Description of the Related Art
Newspapers of ordinary size are generally issued in the form that two to eight sheets each having four pages are overlaid one upon another and folded in two to form a volume which is known as a section. In Japan, newspapers are sometimes issued in parts. More specifically, feature articles or the like are printed in an additional independent section of several pages which is separate from the above-described section, and the pages of the whole of the newspaper are numbered consecutively. Most of these newspapers are issued in two sections, and, for example, newspapers issued on New Year's Day may have three sections. It is more popular in America than Japan to issue newspapers in two or more sections.
These days, however, it is necessary to handle information over a considerably wide range of fields and in tremendous amounts. For this reason, the number of pages of newspapers is increasing more and more. There are some newspapers which are considered that it is preferable to issue them in sections from the viewpoint of transfer of information. It is also preferable from the reader's side that feature articles and the like are issued in another section, because it is easy to keep feature articles in such form as materials. In addition, a newspaper issued in a plurality of sections has the merit that a plurality of persons can read them at the same time. In the course of distribution also, a newspaper of one section with a multiplicity of pages, when folded twice for transportation, become bulky and cannot be handled easily, which means that there is fear of the newspaper being damaged. Therefore, it may be advantageous to make up a newspaper of a plurality of sections.
It may be possible to effect a multi-section folding operation using a conventional vertical two-stage folding machine consisting of two pairs of lower and upper formers A, B and C, D, such as that shown in FIG. 15. However, this type of conventional folding machine has a limited capacity, so that it cannot satisfactorily serve for a system for issuing a multi-section type newspaper. The reasons for this are as follows.
(a) The above-described conventional folding machine can effect 1- to 4-section folding operations and deliver these sections by means of straight folding (capable of producing two copies per full turn of the printing cylinder).
(b) However, the conventional folding machine cannot fold odd-number sections, that is, five and seven sections, among the multiple sections more than four because of a mechanism characteristic of it.
(c) It is possible to fold even-number sections, that is, six and eight sections, by conducting collecting (also known as gathering, that is, folidng one copy per full turn of the printing cylinder) at a folding cylinder. However, in such case the production capacity is reduced to 1/2 of the above-described straight folding.
(d) In the case of, for example, an eight-section folding operation, the above-described collect folding does not permit the number of pages of each of the sections constituting a newspaper to be set as desired. More specifically, the number of pages is restricted to the same between each pair of corresponding sections, that is: 1 and 5; 2 and 6; 3 and 7; and 4 and 8. It is impossible to make them differ from each other due to the mechanism of the apparatus.